Christopher

Meaning: Christ-bearer
Origin: English (from Ancient Greek, via Late Latin)

Nicknames: Chris, Kris, Chip, Christy, Kit

Boy's name · #68 in the US (2025) · 80s wave

Popularity over time

Christopher was #2 back in 1972, spent 29 years inside the national top 5, and stands at #68 today. About 2.1 million boys have carried it since 1880.

Across the states

See where Christopher is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 51 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Christopher ranks in other countries and regions.

#121 in Ireland (2025) · #137 in Ecuador (2025) · #140 in Scotland (2025) · #144 in Mexico (2024) · #184 in Puerto Rico (2025) · #187 in N. Ireland (2025) · #203 in England & Wales (2025) · #237 in New Zealand (2025) · #265 in Austria (2025) · #311 in Norway (2025) · #585 in Switzerland (2025) · #616 in Netherlands (2025) and 3 more.

Famous Christophers

Christopher Columbus — Italian navigator, explorer, and colonist (1451–1506)
Christopher Lee — English actor and singer (1922–2015)
Christopher Nolan — British-American filmmaker (born 1970)
Christopher Plummer — Canadian actor (1929–2021)
Christopher Marlowe — English dramatist, poet and translator (1564–1593)

In stories & tradition

Christopher Pike — The Cage (TV episode)
Christopher Robin — Winnie-the-Pooh series (book series)
Christopher "Chris" Taub — House (TV series)

What Christophers become

Among 6,376 notable people named Christopher:

Scientists & scholars appear 1.6× more often than among typical names — e.g. Christopher A. Sims, American econometrician and macroeconomist (1942–2026).

Twin names

Popular twin pairings with Christopher include Christian and Nicholas for boys.

Spellings & nicknames

About 400 boys a year are given Chris as their full name and 170 Kit.

Similar names: Chris · Andrew · Christian · Anthony · Adam · Jason

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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